El concepto de alexitimia se refiere a una capacidad limitada para identificar y comunicar afectos y pensamiento orientado externamente. Se asocia a dificultades en la mentalización y en la regulación emocional, y a síntomas internalizantes, entendiendo que las somatizaciones aparecen cuando fracasa el procesamiento psíquico. En niños con quejas somáticas existe una fuerte conciencia de los síntomas corporales durante la experiencia emocional, y dicha experiencia impacta sobre la posibilidad de identificación de las emociones y de su regulación. El presente estudio se propuso establecer,en niños escolares de Montevideo, la prevalencia de las quejas somáticas, su relación conAlexitimiay lasvariables predictoras de su asociación. El estudio se realizó en una muestra de 40 escolares (11 y 12 años). Se aplicaron los siguientes instrumentos: Escala de Quejas Somáticas, Cuestionario deAlexitimia en Niños yTest Gráfico Persona Bajo la Lluvia. Se encontró una prevalencia de 32%de quejas somáticas, y una asociación significativa con alexitimia, siendo las causas somáticas demostrables en un 10% de estos casos. La prevalencia es mayor en las niñas y disminuye con la edad.Se describe la vivencia subjetivaen la relación de las dos variables así como su valencia predictora. Palabras clave Alexitimia - Quejas Somáticas ABSTRACT ALEXITHYMIA AND SOMATIC COMPLAINTS The concept ok alexithymia refers to impairments in the ability to identify and communicate feelings and externally oriented thinking. It has been frequently associated with impairments in mentalizing and emotional self-regulation and also with internalizing symptoms, in which somatization appears when there is a deficit in processing psychic excitations. In children with somatic complaints there is a strong arousal during the emotional experience, and this experience affects the possibility of distinguishing between emotions and bodily sensations, affecting in this way the regulation of emotions. The objective of this study was to find the prevalence of somatic complaints and the relation to alexithymia and find the predicting variables in school aged children. Participants in this study were drawn from a primary school in Montevideo: 40 school aged children between 11 and 12 years.They were asked to fill in the following questionnaires: Alexithymia Questionnaire for Children, Scale of Somatic Complaints and Scared. They were also asked to draw a person under the rain (PBLL). Results showed a prevalence of 32% for somatic complaints and this was significantly associated with alexithymia, being the somatic causes evident in 10% of the cases studied. Subjective experience in relation to both variables is also described. Keywords Alexithymia - Somatic Complaints